ANALYSIS | Three rare moments that Tadej Pogacar will want to forget from 2025

You’re probably sick of hearing about Tadej Pogacar by now. His 2025 season was, in short, incredible. Better than 2024? Maybe. Is he now the best of all time? Possibly? Today, though, we’re researching a different question. One that actually juxtaposes the name ‘Tadej Pogacar.’ That’s because this article will look at the world champion’s three worst performances of 2025. Three moments that even he, would like to forget.

Trying to identify “bad days” in Tadej Pogacar’s 2025 season feels almost absurd. He won his fourth Tour de France, three Monuments, a second consecutive rainbow jersey, and his first European title. There were almost no cracks, no collapses, just brief flashes of humanity in a year of supremacy. But even the greatest have moments when gravity tugs back, and for Pogacar, those moments stood out precisely because they were so rare.

Here are the three races that reminded the world he’s still mortal, however briefly.

In Kigali, Rwanda, the 40.6-kilometer world championship time trial was supposed to be a duel between two of cycling’s modern titans. Experts predicted a showdown between Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar, and many thought Pogacar could finally win the time trial crown. Instead, it became a demonstration of how merciless Evenepoel can be in his own domain.

At the first checkpoint, the Olympic champion was the best part of a minute quicker than Pogacar. Then came the big shock: Evenepoel physically caught and overtook him on the road, a humiliation almost never seen in Pogacar’s career. Evenepoel stormed to his third straight world TT title, whilst Pogacar crossed the line fourth, 2 minutes and 37 seconds behind.

For a rider used to defining races on his terms, it was a bruising reminder that time trials at the highest level are still an art form that belongs to specialists when not in a grand tour. The Slovenian smiled in defeat, but you could sense the fire underneath. Few champions hate losing as much as he does, and he immediately avenged the defeat the following week in the road race.

Still, outside of mountain time trials in grand tours, Pogacar has not shown he is ready to win the rainbow jersey on the time trial bike just yet.

Crashes don’t care about palmarès. On Stage 11 of the 2025 Tour de France, the yellow jersey briefly touched chaos. With roughly four kilometers remaining, Pogacar went down on a fast descent after being crossed by another rider, tangled in a pack as riders jostled for position.

For a few seconds, the cycling world held its breath. The race leader, the sport’s brightest star, was on the ground. It looked like the world champion’s head had hit the kerb, could his Tour de France campaign be over?

Miraculously, Pogacar was back on his bike within moments, his jersey ripped but his focus intact. The peloton, showing respect, eased its pace until he rejoined. He would finish the stage unharmed and maintain his overall lead, but he has been genuinely close to a race ending crash, if not worse.

Roubaix was supposed to be the great experiment, could the sport’s most versatile champion conquer cycling’s roughest classic? Pogacar’s debut at Paris–Roubaix was eagerly anticipated, and for much of the day, he looked every bit the equal of Mathieu van der Poel.

On the cobbles, the rainbow jersey was luminous, floating through the dust, picking lines like he’d ridden the race for years. Then, with around 30 kilometres remaining, as he and Van der Poel traded blows over a muddy section of cobbles, it all went wrong. His rear wheel slipped, his bike fishtailed, and Pogacar crashed to the ground on a corner.

He remounted quickly, and for a little while the gap wasn’t growing to the defending champion, but the damage was done. Van der Poel powered on alone to win, Pogacar, bruised and bloodied, still salvaged second, a remarkable result given the chaos and given the fact it was his first time in Roubaix.

But for a man who had spoken of Roubaix as a “personal challenge,” it felt like unfinished business. No doubt, Pogacar will be back for another taste of the Paris-Roubaix cobbles soon.